DNR Announces River Of Words Environmental Poetry And Art Contest

Deadline for entries is Dec. 1

ANNAPOLIS, MD (November 23, 2009) — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced that it will once again participate in the annual International Environmental Poetry & Art contest, also known as River of Words (ROW). Affiliated with the Library of Congress Center for the Book, the ongoing theme of the contest is watersheds.

All Maryland entries in the international contest will be automatically entered in the state contest. A finalist in each category (poetry and art) will be chosen for each age group, K-6 and 7-12, in each of the 10 Maryland Chesapeake Bay tributary areas. Finalists will be announced in June. Those 40 finalists will compete for the four state championship titles for corresponding age groups.

Information on the international contest, prizes, entry form, and order form for the Watershed Science Curriculum can be obtained on the ROW Web site at www.riverofwords.org. The contest deadline is December 1.

For more information, visit http://www.dnr.state.md.us/education/are/row.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 461,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries, and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic, and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov